She was avoiding him and he hated it.

They lived under the same roof, in the same room, shared the same bed, heck even breathed the same air yet for Zyva, Azlan was a plague. Everytime he came into a room, she exited. Everytime he called her, she made some or the other excuse avoiding him at all costs. It seemed to him as if she was trying to get under his skin.

Seeing her all chatty with his brother made him want to snap Ammar Sikandar's neck like a twig. Their parents were seated not far away chatting post family dinner. An idea brewed in his head as he suddenly got up dusting his pants.

"Zyva, can you come with me? I am unable to find an important file." He smirked, knowing well enough she wouldn't refuse his advances in front of their parents.

"You haven't searched only. How will you find it?" Zyva mumbled back gritting her teeth, still not meeting his gaze.

"Arey! Jao, Zyva! Go help him, it must be something important." Her mother chimed causing his smirk to widen further, seeing her get up with a glare on his face. Bingo.

With her leading the way, he followed close behind, finally he could have her to himself. She had no way out. Since they had kissed a few days back, his mind had become a jumbled pile of electric wires. He wanted to feel her soft skin under his palms, to kiss her senseless, everywhere, all at once. Her warm embrace that she was depriving him from. He hadn't slept properly since then, even in his dreams she tormented him restless. Desperation filled him like never before.

As soon as they reached their room, Azlan bolted the door as his minx of a wife headed towards his filing cabinet, mumbling to herself. Surely profanities about him.
"What file is it that you want?"

Azlan took brisk steps towards her, caging her in his arms. He could feel her breath hitching as she froze, her back pressed against his chest. He dropped his head in her hair, as he inhaled deeply, humming in odd satisfaction.
"Why are you avoiding me? Is it because of the kiss?"

"No—no...its not like that." Zyva shivered, her hands tightening on the edge of the cabinet, this caused Azlan to press himself further into her body.

"Then what is it like?"

"Y-you won't understand..." She breathed heavily now. Her chest rising and falling in seductive waves.

"Try me, sweetheart. I haven't yet mastered the art to interpret your silences, but you can teach me, right?" Azlan whispered as gently as he could, his head ever so slightly lifting from her hair.

Sighing deeply Zyva turned around, why was he so understanding?, she finally met his gaze. His eyes held a soft romance to them, a kind of magic she had only ever seen in movies.
"It feels weird.."

"What feels weird?" He questioned, leaning a little away from her, as his arms unconsciously wrapped themselves around her waist. Like magnets drawn to each other.

"Us. It feels like I am living all this inside my mind. It feels like none of this is real. I am scared you will realise how much of an immature idiot I am and eventually leave me.." Zyva whispered, vulnerably as her hands fiddled with his shirt. Gaze lowered.

"Zyva, sweetheart. This is as real as it gets. This—" He pointed at himself and then at her with his finger before continuing, " You and Me are forever. Beautiful, Chaotic, Unhinged. Everything that you are, you look like the rest of my life."

Zyva's cheeks turned red as her eyes finally lifted, finding their home in his. Her arms wrapping around her husband's waist.
"Do you mean that?"

"Of course. I do! Here I thought you were avoiding me because I kissed you. Do you realise how excruciatingly painful it was? I felt like such a loser." Azlan let out a frustrated noise that sounded more like whine causing Zyva to giggle out, as she pulled him towards their bed.

"No, I quite liked our kiss." She replied still giggling.

"Oii! Such a tease." He grumbled, pushing her onto her back on the bed as he hovered over her body, balancing his body on his palms. His eyes tinged with a thick layer of lust and..love?
"In that case I want to kiss you again..I want to keep kissing you, until I am all you can think about."

Zyva knew he was asking for her consent and she would be damned if she refused.
"Do you want me to kiss you without warning—-" She teasingly began but before she could even complete her sentence, her mouth was covered by his. This time Zyva reacted instantly, pulling him to herself, leaving ever so delicate caresses across his body and face. His hard body pressing against hers in the most pleasurable way. They were so diabolically close. They wanted each other in primal ways that they were starting to blur into one another.

Pulling away to breathe, Azlan flipped them the other way. Her on top of him. Resting their foreheads together. Hearts colliding, they breathed heavily.

"I can't seem to get enough of you, sweetheart." Azlan mumbled, pecking at her lips again.

"I love it when you call me sweetheart." Zyva let out a breathy giggle finding solace in her husband's arms.

"Sweetheart. Sweetheart. Sweetheart..." Azlan continued singing out like a prayer, kissing every part of her skin his lips could reach, causing Zyva to giggle out only more.

______

Azlan could barely keep his hands to himself since they had shared their second kiss. He didn't know what was wrong with him but he had never felt as needy for physical touch than he did at this point in his life. He was constantly touching her hands, waist, cheeks, lips..anything he could get his hands on, fleeting kisses had become a second nature.

Zyva also had understood at this point that, she wanted him in all the ways he wanted her, so their snarky arguments and tough love had died down to a zero, which was a drastic change for the family themselves, nevertheless they were quite happy to see the couple finally progress.

"Where are we going?" Azlan questioned as soon as he entered their room, returning from office. His eyes wandering towards his wife who was putting a few clothes in a duffel bag.

"I am going to my home." Zyva replied, stuffing a dupatta inside the bag.

"This is your home." Azlan asserted frowning as he removed his watch and wallet putting them on the side table before sitting down on the bed and taking the bag from her hand. "Why are you going?"

"Mama called up Ruba Aunty and insisted on having me over for a few days." Zyva replied ruefully, slumping down on the bed just beside him, the bag dividing them.

"Do you want to go?" Azlan questioned, pushing the bag to the other side as he pulled her towards himself, placing his hands on her hips.

"No.."

"Then you will not be going, sweetheart. I will tell Mumma we have plans tomorrow."

"Nahi na. It's okay, you can't always do this. It's thoda disrespectful. Log kya kahenge biwi ke ishaaron par nachta hai Azlan Sikandar. Accha thodi lagega aese." Zyva almost groaned, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

(What will people say, Azlan Sikandar is a puppet of his wife's cammands. It isn't nice.)

"Kaun hai ye log?" Azlan hummed amused as he ran his hands through her hair, unclasping the claw clip that held them together.
(Who are these people?)

"Hai bohot se. Aap kya unko bhi daatenge ab?"
(There are lots. You will scold them also?)

"Bhi ka matlab? I don't scold you anymore, do I?" He scowled, pulling at Zyva's hair gently causing her to lift her head back and meet his gaze.

"Wow, what a character development no? Meherbani aapki. Why did you even scold me before? You were a pointless person." Zyva replied bluntly as Azlan leaned down and placed a kiss against her jaw, before leaving her hair, they sat close, their knees touching.

"I didn't scold you pointlessly. You always did something stupid that's why I scolded you."

"Toh mein pagal dikhti hoon? Why will I do something stupid without reason?" She snarled, her eyes blazing with underlying contempt.

"So you believe you do stupid things with or without reason?" Azlan refuted back without biting his tongue.

"Mujhe nahi karni hai aapse baat. Aap gande insaan hai, hatein meri side se, mujhe sona hai." Zyva seethed, pushing Azlan off from the bed along with the bag, as she pulled at the bedsheet ready to sleep.
(I don't want to talk to you. You are a bad man, move from my side, i want to sleep.)

"Arey! Pagal ladki. What are you doing?"He stood baffled at her reaction, not expecting her to overreact like this.

"Yes, I am the Pagal Ladki you married. Don't you dare come to me calling sweetheart. Aapki sasti chikni chupti baatein dustbin mein phenk aaye."
(Throw all your cheap sweat talks in the dustbin.)

Sighing in indignation, Azlan called out to her once more, but she refused to listen to him. Finally he decided to take the matters in his hands. Quite literally.

Putting his arms around the blanket that was wrapped around her, he lifted her in his arms. A yelp escaped her mouth as she clutched to his collar tightly, screaming profanities at him.

Not paying heed to her, he carried her just like that in his arms down to his car and made her sit inside. Thankfully everyone had slept so nobody saw them going down.

"Khud to awal darje ke paagal hai aur mujhe kehte hai pagal ladki! You are so incredibly infuriating."Zyva screamed out loud when he came and sat inside, starting the car.
(You are the first class stupid person here and you call me stupid.)

"Chup karke behto tum. Kitna bak bak karti ho."Azlan announced, reversing the car from the driveway and moving towards the road.
(Shut up and sit. You talk too much)

And that was it, Zyva shut her mouth tight, turning to the other side refusing to meet his gaze. Azlan sighed deeply in frustration, casting her a weary glance.
"Accha na, ab itna bhi chup nahi ho jao."
(Okay, now don't become so silent also)

"Zyva Yaar.." He stretched her name out, trying to get her to speak or even look at him, but she refused to give him any satisfaction.
"Mai pagal theek hai? I am the stupidest man on earth." He grumbled under his breath, driving through the bustling streets, of nightlife in the city.

"Aap paagal se bhi bade paagal hai! Gande waale wo bhi. Agli baar aapne mere saath aesi harkat ki na? To maine maar dena hai aapko!" Much to the surprise of Azlan Sikandar his spitfire of a wife thundered, breaking free from her silent treatment at a record time.
(You are more stupid than any stupid out there. A bad one. If you do this with me again, i will kill you.)

"Tum par to mar hi gaya hoon, tumhare haaton bhi mar loonga. Koi badi baat nahi hai." He mumbled, a smile quirking at his lips, not audible enough for Zyva to hear though, he couldn't say that out loud, now could he?
(I have already died in love with you, I will die at your hands as well, no big deal.)

"Ye aapko meri bimaari nahi lag rahi? Mooh mei kya khus phusa rahe hai?" Zyva frowned scrutinising him from her seat.
(Aren't you becoming like me? What are you muttering in your mouth?)

"Zyva.." Azlan simply smiled brightly, taking her hand from her lap and placing it on his. "Mere naam ki mehendi lagwaaogi?"

_____

Just like that, Zyva and Azlan sat near a small dhaba, far away from the city, the lights beaming on their faces as they sat chatting on the charpayi. Zyva's hands adored with intricate mehendi patterns, entwined between which lay Azlan's name written in Urdu. He beamed proudly looking at his name this time rather than Aaban's, as he fed Zyva bites of the crispy sheermal roti and soft galouti kebabs dipped in lip smacking green chutney.

Zyva suddenly giggled out loud, just as Azlan moved his hand to his mouth to take a bite.

"What's so funny?" He questioned, taking the bite and chewing ever so gracefully like he always did. Prim and proper.

Shaking her head, she grinned widely before speaking. "Nothing at all, i just remembered how you were so devotedly filling up Inayah Di's plate during Eid three years back. Handing her tissues, holding onto her purse and What not. You would've  even fed her with your hands if you could."

Azlan froze, frowning darkly as he looked at his wife now mentioning one of his ex fiancée's name and actually laughing at it. It didn't sit well with him, he didn't know what to make of it.

"Everyone was in awe looking at you that day. Such a doting husband you would've made. Everyone was charmed off their feet. I remember Mama singing your praises the entire night on the way home." Zyva continued not paying heed to any reaction he was giving.

"What did you think?" He finally questioned, tearing off another piece and wrapping it in kebab before stuffing it in her mouth.

Zyva scowled making a face as she quickly chewed on the bite before speaking again.
"You and I were never on good terms, I hated your guts and I know you did mine as well, but that day I just knew you were husband material not so much bhaiya material.." she stopped when Azlan let out a soft chuckle rubbing his neck.
"I was a little jealous along with every other girl there. I thought Inayah Di was so lucky to have a fiancée like you. Although i was never interested in marriage, my heart yearned to have someone care for me in ways no man has. That day I actually realised why everyone liked you so much, even though I didn't. You were a gentleman in true sense, atleast to the people you cared about."

"I am sorry I was rude to you. I don't regret a lot of things but I do regret treating you poorly. Especially after my engagement with Inayah ended." Azlan, dropped his head in shame, his attitude towards her had always been rough, to him she was the most immature and coddled girl he had come across. She had no sense of responsibility and had no goal in life yet everything was handed to her on a platter. It made him furious that she refused to let anything ground her. Plus his own added insecurities bubbled over when she got engaged to be married. Two broken engagements despite doing everything in his will power to make the relationship work was a hard hit to take and here she was Zyva Qureshi again with her i-don't-care attitude having it all.

Azlan had realised during the period of their marriage that, he was the most whiney insecure brat who was seeing a girl 7 years younger than him as competition. How pathetic he really was.

"It's okay, I understand. Why did your engagement with Inayah Di end, though? You guys were so compatible!" Zyva questioned, brushing off whatever guilt that was spewing inside his brain.

"We were compatible..Infact we were too compatible." Azlan started, running a hand through his hair as he exhaled a deep breath. "You know she was incredibly passionate about her job which was something I respected and admired because I am just as passionate. A month before our wedding she got an offer to work as a Project Manager in Turkey, she was keen on taking it and even that was fine. However her stay in Turkey was indefinite. There was no deadline to when she would come back. I was okay with postponing the wedding as long as she would come back home, eventually. But she refused, she said that she loved her job and wanted me to shift with her to Turkey. She wanted me to uproot my entire life, leave my job, my family, everything behind and come live with her."

Azlan paused gauging in her reaction, who was looking at him with big eyes, as she tried picking up the mango lassi with her arms trying to not ruin the mehendi, but he tched her and lifted the glass to her mouth, letting her sip as he continued.
"We had endless fights. It was becoming toxic and I just knew this wasn't going to work out. Neither was she willing to compromise nor was I going to agree to her demands so we amicably decided to split up."

"Wow, i never expected this from Inayah Di." She said smacking her lips, as if she was sitting in a movie theatre with snacks and popcorn and enjoying a movie. "What about Safiya? Your engagement with her lasted less than two months a stark contrast to your engagement with Inayah Di which was almost a year and half long."

"Aren't you a little too excited to know about my ex-fiancé's?"He wiped the lassi moustache from her upperlip with his thumb before licking it.
Zyva blushed deep red at the action shrugging as she asked him to continue his sob story.

"Well Safiya was already in love with another boy and her parents were forcing her. She told me this after our engagement, so I broke it off. It was easier for me since I was a guy with a soiled reputation of already having a broken engagement before. I told her to tell her family I wasn't a good choice." He finished smoothly, the food on their plates done as well.

"Wow, mein toh aapko kya samajti thi, aap kya nikle." Zyva replied in awe, he wasn't anything like how she'd expected him to be.
Azlan simply chuckled shaking his head, as he called for the bill.

"Did you always want to get married?" Zyva started slowly once he had paid the bill and helped her get up from the charpayi, tucking her tightly in the shawl that was wrapped around her.

"What kind of question is that?" Azlan shook his head in disbelief, putting his hand around her shoulder and pulling her towards himself as they walked back to the car.

"I never wanted to get married, you know? I was scared of marrying someone who wouldn't be able to love me. I was scared that my husband would ill treat me, would abuse me or worse I would end up in a marriage that I would regret day and night. That's how many failed marriages I had seen. If the husband was nice then the in-laws wouldn't be. The world is never kind to a woman. Galti to humesha ladki ki hi hoti hai na? Ladke toh ladke hote hain. Ladkiyon ko hi adjust karna hai, Ladke kyu karenge? Ishq-muhabbat ki khwaish to sab ladkiyon ko hoti hai, hum pattar ki to nahi bani na? Par us khwaish se darr bhi lagta hai. Mai to itni mazboot bhi nahi hoon apni mama jaisi ke sab sehan kar loon chup chaap. Rona bohot jaldi aata hai na. Was it my mistake to believe all marriages are unkind? I was so scared when I married you. Gussa tha, par usse bhi zyada darr tha. You didn't like me. I wasn't your ideal girl. I refused to let myself become a victim." Zyva whispered, her lips unconsciously uttering all that her heart had kept hidden from the world. All her thoughts, her insecurities poured out.

(The fault is always the girl's right? Boys are boys. Girls only have to adjust. Why will boys adjust? All the girls wish for love, we are not made out of rock. But beyond this wish is fear. I am not as strong as my mother to endure all this quietly. I cry very fast.)
(I was angry and more than angry i was scared.)

Azlan was tongue tied in astonishment. He had never realised this is how she felt, probably how most girls felt. For the first time, he didn't know how to console her, to reassure her that he wouldn't do anything like that. But, there were no words. He was so beyond terrified of what she had gone through even in her mind.

"I was wrong to judge you too early as well, you are a good man, Azlan Sikandar. One thing I know for sure is you'd never hurt me intentionally, or atleast I hope you wouldn't because you now have my heart in your hands, it's yours to heal. Please don't break it."

He simply pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her, his eyes filling up with wetness. He made a promise to himself that day, his heart was already in her hands, she held it without even knowing it belonged to her, and he would be damned if he let her believe that she deserved anything but love and respect.

__

4k words you guyss! please comment and vote!